Ok, so I am going to go for a game which I feel didn’t get the hype it deserved even though it did do well with reviews and my pick for game of the year is Ghostrunner 2! Now let me tell you I was shocked how hooked I got on this game as I played it a lot on and off live stream! Why this surprised me as this is a souls like game (spoiler alert I don’t like souls like games) in terms of its difficulty, the constant dying and retrying approach to defeat tough as nails enemy’s during super fast samurai vs bad guys with guns fights! It really can be spectacular at moments! Oh yeah you pretty much wall run everywhere like a parkour death machine where you enjoy some insanely cool slow mo gore moments where you gleefully slice bad guys in 2 with your katana which goes through bad guys like a hot knife through butter…it’s freaking awesome!
This gameplay loop really gave me a huge sense of reward after progressing though a tough area after literally 100 tries, it was such a buzz to finally defeat whoever stood in my way…especially as I was playing this on PS5 using a controller where you really had to be zoned in to do the business as I’d a game that can be as fast as Ghostrunner 2 probably lends itself better to keyboard and mouse… but loving the dopamine hit of unlocking PlayStation trophies I opted for the console copy of the game! Thankfully you also have some special abilities which can be your equalizer against tough enemies such as a laser blast (I forget its proper name) which will literally slice through any poor bad guys caught in its path, it’s very handy!
There is also some light RPG elements where you can get upgrade chips to unlock new abilities to make your cybernetic Samurai even more deadly so it pays to be vigilant when wall running through the city to pick up these valuable upgrades!
Visually on PS5 the game runs fantastic and is a real looker with a stunning cyberpunk aesthetic! And that’s not all the dark future synth music that’s booming over your ears as you mow down waves of bad guys with your katana just add to the blood pumping action.
The level design is fantastic also as some of the stages are huge, with challenging environments to traverse with your wall running abilities, thankfully you have a trusty grappling hook too! The game will force you to get your thinking cap on to unlock puzzles to find your next move through the location and there’s even a motorbike, when your playing through those levels it legit can make you feel a bit of motion sickness as it’s so intense and so well done! Seriously do not miss out on this, it’s incredible.
I really loved my time with Ghostrunner 2, it is a huge step up in every aspect from the original game in my opinion and I actually think it being so tough has made me a better gamer! How did that happen, well no matter how tough it got I was determined not to be defeated so I could get that next cybernetic samurai feel good hit unlike other tough games I have played, where time is at a premium with other stuff IRL needing done I would just go “Ach forget this” it’s getting boring but, oh no, not with Ghostrunner 2 and that’s why it’s my game of the year 2023 and why you my friend should check it out.
